Leadership insights

What’s important to the CMO in 2025

Four key trends influencing today’s marketing strategy

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Strategic, data-driven CMOs elevate the customer experience

The role of chief marketing officers (CMOs) is evolving. With rapid tech advancements, rising customer expectations and stretched marketing budgets, today's CMOs face a complex landscape. They must navigate these marketing challenges while driving innovation, aligning their strategies with both company goals and customer needs. The ability to balance technology investments with personalized customer experiences and measurable results will define the success of marketing leaders in this dynamic environment.

In the spotlight

CMO vision is strong, but barriers remain

Marketing leaders are confident — and ready to lead. Despite ongoing volatility, many see more opportunity than challenges ahead. But bold ideas don’t always move fast. CMOs face familiar barriers: talent and skills gaps, resource constraints and internal misalignment. Our May 2025 Pulse Survey offers a window into how CMOs are navigating disruption — and where strategies like personalization and AI stand today.

More insights

05/06/25

CMOs and marketing leaders 100 days in: What’s next for business

17/03/25

Beyond ownership - the new era of customer experience

63% of CMOs say they’re missing opportunities due to slow decision-making

Source: PwC Pulse Survey, May 2025

Where to focus in 2025

Technology

Fine-tune your marketing tech to unlock value

The influx of new technologies like GenAI expands the capabilities available to marketing leaders. By translating analytics into insights, you can better adapt to the changing preferences of your customers and deliver an enhanced experience. You can elevate customer journeys by leveraging data, creating individualized connections and anticipating evolving needs.

In fact, 7 out of 10 CMOs surveyed by PwC said their company is behind the competition in adopting new technologies. Meanwhile, marketing leaders are under immense pressure to deliver stronger results from current tech investments. Demonstrating ROI remains crucial for securing marketing budget. Consider your existing resources and invest in fewer, high-quality solutions. As responsibilities overlap with your tech and data leaders, collaborate on a shared vision so you can build momentum and drive business outcomes.

Additional ways to fine-tune technology to unlock value

Technology

How tech can increase customer attraction

Businesses can accelerate customer attraction by strategically using technology to offer personalized experiences, address customer challenges and build trust through ethical use of data.

Technology

Is your content ready for the demands of personalization?

Modular content can provide the right framework, but organizations should align on vision, invest in change and leverage the right technologies.

Artificial intelligence

Marketing in the age of AI: Are you ready?

It’s not too late. With the right moves on AI, you can work to increase the value you and your team can deliver.

Transformation

Leverage data as a competitive differentiator

Explore how data collaboration and clean rooms can enhance marketing strategies, overcome privacy hurdles and provide deeper customer insights.

78% of CMOs say they’ll use GenAI to make changes to their business model

Source: PwC Pulse Survey, June 2024

Strategy and growth

Lead growth as a strategic innovator

Now, more than ever, lines are blurring across the C-suite — and there’s an opportunity for CMOs to carve out roles as innovators, strategists and growth-drivers. From working with the CEO to tell your company's story to activating the new tech capabilities with the CIO, you thrive as the driving force behind reinvention. Prioritize collaboration with every member of the C-suite who interacts with your customer and help align marketing efforts with the company’s strategic vision.

Work closely with your CFO to identify key metrics that demonstrate marketing’s positive impact on revenue, especially in today’s challenging economic environment, where cost pressures, inflation and other factors disrupt customer relationships and marketing strategies.

Additional ways to lead growth as a strategic innovator

Strategy and growth

PwC Pulse Survey: Executive takes on election 2024

In our latest survey, find out how CMOs are navigating budgets, talent challenges, personalization gaps, and more — by focusing on strategies to drive growth.

Strategy and growth

Collaborate across the C-suite to drive growth

Find out how CMOs can help keep their marketing machine in high gear and prove its value to finance departments, as well as across the C-suite.

Value creation

PwC Pulse Survey: Finding opportunity in reinvention

Find out how marketing leaders are rebranding their role and becoming strategic partners across the C-suite in our PwC Pulse Survey.

Value creation

Analyzing and translating the value of personalization at scale

Learn how to measure and optimize marketing impact, drive growth and communicate ROI to stakeholders.

40% of CMOs strongly agree that the value of marketing is understood by key decision-makers in the company, down from 54% in 2023

Source: PwC Pulse Survey, June 2024

Trust

Drive outcomes with trust

Marketing leaders, who engage directly with customers far more than their C-suite peers, can play a pivotal role in safeguarding and expanding consumer trust. When your company’s purpose and values resonate consistently and authentically across all channels, you add a human touch so you can help differentiate your brand in a crowded market.

Communicating your company’s Responsible AI strategy can also build trust as these tools become more integrated into your marketing. Additionally, as your tech delivers data, privacy should be a priority — 88% of consumers said it’s important for companies to disclose data privacy policies but only 32% of executives said their companies do it. Transparency can significantly build and reinforce trust at every turn.

Additional ways to drive outcomes with trust

Trust

Trust: It accelerates the bottom line

Find out what employees, customers and business leaders think about business trust and what leaders can do to deliver.

Artificial intelligence

Benchmark your AI readiness

Discover insights into responsible AI and GenAI adoption, risk management and value creation.

Data risk and privacy

Safeguard personal data while using it to elevate customer experiences

Leverage consumer data for personalized experiences and brand enhancement, ensuring data protection to build trust and drive revenue growth.

85% of CMOs said building trust with customers through privacy and consent is a priority (48% high priority)

Source: PwC Pulse Survey, June 2024

Customer experience

Unlock loyalty with personalization

Customers have more options than ever — and less time to choose. If you fail to meet their expectations, they can swiftly take their business elsewhere. Marketing teams can leverage tech such as GenAI to quickly and cost-effectively create hyper-personalized customer content, journeys and experiences that help fortify your brand and foster unwavering loyalty. However, as you tap into the vast amount of data driving these experiences, confirm its proper use and safeguard customer privacy.

There have been huge leaps in marketing technology, yet these innovations come at a time when there seems to be a disconnect between executives and consumers on how loyalty is defined, when it’s won and where it’s lost. Understanding how your customers make loyalty decisions throughout their journey can help turn loyalty into a growth engine.

Additional ways to unlock loyalty with personalization

Customer experience

What’s next in customer experience — hear from the leaders themselves

Get real insights from top executives in our Real Stories series — what’s working, what’s not and what’s next in the evolution of customer experience.

Customer experience

Chipotle’s “secret salsa” for digital growth? Personalization at scale

Find out how Chipotle has prioritized digital growth by creating personalized digital experiences for customers to drive attraction, loyalty and retention.

Customer experience

Why the future of customer experience demands the experience supply chain

It’s time for a new approach that doesn’t attempt to control the entire customer experience but instead empowers the key roles that influence it.

Customer transformation

Responsible AI meets creative strategy: Building customer attraction that lasts

Learn why focusing on authentic customer connections can allow companies to actively shape the future of business in an AI-driven world.

83% of CMOs said personalizing the customer experience is a priority (40% high priority)

Source: PwC Pulse Survey, June 2024

Explore executive insights

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What’s important to the CMO in 2025

Strategic, data-driven CMOs elevate the customer experience

In the spotlight

CMO vision is strong, but barriers remain

More insights

CMOs and marketing leaders 100 days in: What’s next for business

Beyond ownership - the new era of customer experience

Explore related C-suite insights

Where to focus in 2025

Technology

Fine-tune your marketing tech to unlock value

Additional ways to fine-tune technology to unlock value

Technology

Technology

Artificial intelligence

Transformation

Explore related C-suite insights

Explore executive insights

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